Marry Me
by TishDaniVamp11
Summary: "Love is painful, pointless, and overrated". At least according to one Damon Salvatore. After confronting his feelings, he realizes it's too late to get the girl of his dreams. What's one vampire to do except drink away his sorrows? Inspired by the song and music video "Marry Me" by Thomas Rhett.


Hello again! I hope you enjoy the story! I fell in love with this pairing after reading Bertie Bott, Kittynaz, and Meekosan's stories. I believe if there was ever a crossover, I can see such a pairing developing over time. If you have not already, please read "Almost Lover" by Bertie Bott as it is an amazing read and sort of inspired this story. The other inspiration is the song and music video "Marry Me" by Thomas Rhett. If you find another story similar to this, please let me know so I can acknowledge them and read their story if I have not already. Enjoy!

-Tish

Disclaimer: All that you see below belongs to Stephanie Meyer, L. J. Smith, and Warner Bros. Television. Anything you don't recognize is my own creation.

* * *

He watched as the amber liquid swirled in the glass, contemplating what brought him to the bar so early. He supposed it was his own fault really. He had waited too damn long and now after today, he'll never have a chance. He remembered the conversation he had with her about such an occasion.

_It had been a few months after her dick of an ex-boyfriend had left her behind. He'd stumbled upon her when she'd almost been killed by a cold one in the middle of the forest. Seeing her in such a desolate state, he decided to stay for a while; help her move past her sorrows and focus on something better. By then he found himself opening up about his relationship with Katherine to her and she returned the favor about Edward._

"_I thought I was going to have forever with him. He even spoke to me about marriage. It's crazy, you know? Growing up I didn't like to think too much of the concept, seeing how my parent's relationship turned out. But some little girls dream up their wedding at some point and I was no different. I knew that if I did get married, I would have magnolias as flowers, and it had to be in the country. And it would have to be small, only close friends and family so my dad wouldn't have to pay so much for extra, unnecessary people. It sounds silly, especially now, to have it all perfectly planned out. I mean, I don't even know what I want anymore." She shrugged helplessly, feeling self-conscious after admitting her secret._

_He bumped shoulders with her, causing her to look up and for them to lock eyes._

"_You want what everyone wants. You want a love that consumes you. You want passion and adventure and even a little danger. I want you to get everything you're looking for." As they held each other's gazes, something passed between them in that moment. A deeper understanding that bonded them closer together. Moments later, with a blush on her cheeks, she smiles, turning her head away._

* * *

The bartender pours another glass of bourbon for him, allowing him to surface briefly back to the present. He quickly downs the liquid before signaling for another. His mind wanders to the night he almost had her but allowed fear to get in the way.

_After his screw up with Katherine, causing Jenna to be hurt in the process, he felt he needed a break. And what better place to go than to Durham to visit Bella at college? Duke was in the middle of their Spring Recess and knowing Bella she was spending the time reading and not going out. He burst into her dorm and promptly kidnapped her. He takes her bar hopping, making sure she had at least one drink at each location. By the end of the night, Bella was thoroughly drunk and emboldened. She convinced him to sneak into the Duke Gardens. Someone was hosting a private event so parts of the garden were lit up. Damon watched as she walks among the flowers, seeming serene and content. _

_They stood at one of the gazebos, looking out at all the flowers. She took in a deep breath, turning to him and smiling. Her smile lit up her face, causing Damon to mentally take a step back. He felt like he was seeing her in a different light, one that was drawing him closer to her. Barely realizing he was doing so, he leans in closer to her, she does the same. Eyes sweep over faces, lingering on lips. Just as she licks her lips, almost in anticipation, a guard yells at them to get out. She leaps back with a nervous giggle and blush, grabs his hand, and runs for the exit._

* * *

After that night, he maintained his distance, only showing up to her graduation. Otherwise, he had little contact with her. He cannot believe he had almost kissed her. For lack of better words, he freaked out. As he's said before, he's been in love. It's painful, pointless, and overrated. Plus, even if he did love her, she didn't deserve to be dragged into his messes. Between the Originals, Katherine, and Stefan's Ripper issues, he didn't want to see her get tangled in the web and possibly hurt. He allowed said issues to create a rift in their friendship. Every time a new problem arose in Mystic Falls, he used it as an excuse to keep Bella and his feelings away. In fact, he suppressed his feelings and avoided her so much, it wasn't until 2 years later that his feelings and regret came surging through him.

_He and Bonnie had been stuck in a prison world for 4 months and in that time, all he could think about was Bella and the regret he felt for allowing fear to cloud his judgment. Allowing that fear to push away one of the few people who understood him. He vowed that when he got out of there, he would make amends. He would even admit his love for her; he had a strong feeling she loved him too. Yet, on his return trip back to the real world, he was gifted with news he did not anticipate._

_It felt good to taste Bourbon again. What was Stefan thinking, almost wasting the bottle! He becomes serious, knowing his brother must be struggling with the knowledge that he's back. They embrace tightly, Damon honestly glad to see his brother and hug him. After separating Damon gives the condensed version of what he experienced, anxious to leave and see Bella. He tells Stefan there's someone he's got to see, something he's got to tell her. Stefan realizes what Damon wants to do and sighs before sharing the news._

"_Damon about Bella… she got engaged."_

"_She did _what_?" Stefan hesitates._

"_She got engaged. She sent you a Save the Date. She's getting married in June."_

"_No. No, I just need to see her, Stefan! Our eyes will meet, fireworks will go off, and the balance of nature will be restored. She loves me! She has to…" Feeling utterly disoriented, Damon continues to drink the bourbon, unable to handle this new piece of information. _

_When he reached out to her, she, in her completely loyal and understanding way, accepted him back with open arms. However, when the official wedding invitations came to the Boarding House in January, he knew nothing he did would change her mind. It was too late._

* * *

He loosened his tie, feeling foolish for even showing up to the venue. He thought he could handle it. See her, wish her luck on her marriage. Stand in the crowd and not speak up when the preacher asked. He had been chatting with Charlie, the father admitting he dreaded this day he had to give his daughter away. Damon happened to glance up and see Bella looking down at the gathered guests. Seeing her dressed up in white and knowing it wasn't for him, made him agree with Charlie. He dreaded giving her away to someone else. He knew the minute he saw her, he would rush off to her, get everything off his chest; admit to her that he was in love with her and always would be. With that knowledge in mind, he couldn't even stay for the ceremony. He dropped off his gift for her and walked away. And that's how he ended up at the bar, stuck in a black suit and tie, mourning a love that never was. He had promised himself he'd never fall in love again and yet here he was.

He stared down into his drink, swirling the liquid around again. He felt utterly pathetic, then snorted at himself for feeling this way. Here he was, self-proclaimed eternal stud wallowing because he didn't get the girl. It's not like it would be the first time. He would always be second choice and it just reaffirmed why he did not bother with love. Yet it wasn't just any girl, Bella was The One, as cliché as it sounded. Sneering a little at the sappy and depressing thoughts, he compelled the bartender to refill his glass and leave the bottle for him to finish. Maybe by the time he finished the bottle, Bella would be leaving for her honeymoon and he wouldn't have reminders of what could've been.

A hand slammed on his shoulder, patting him in what he assumed was supposed to be sympathetic and reassuring but was more irritating than anything. Ric's presence to his left told him his brother probably noticed his mood and sent his friend over to "make him feel better". What a load of shit. As if him simply being there would replace the hole that grew larger within him as the start of the wedding drew near.

"How are you feeling man?"

"My beautiful and lovely best friend is about to get married, which means she probably never loved me. I'm great Ric!" He gave him a sarcastic wink, saluted his friend before downing another shot. He slammed the glass down, almost breaking it in his anger and frustration. Ric sighed, knowing he was probably making it worse but he pushed forward.

"You can't let it consume you like this. Are you not the self-proclaimed 'eternal stud'? What's the point of wallowing when there are many other possibilities ahead of you?" Damon couldn't help the spike of rage at Ric's words.

"Forget what I said and fuck future 'possibilities'. I'm in love with a woman I can never have. The point is I'm in love with her and it's driving me crazy. No matter what I do or who I'm with, it won't compare to what I feel for her and that sucks."

He got up from his chair, tired of Ric's pathetic attempts to make him feel better. He turned to leave, and as he looked up, there she was, standing in the doorway with sunlight framing her. She looked unreal, still in her wedding dress but her hair falling out of her updo in soft curls. She had tears streaming down her face. He couldn't stop the sarcastic remark that blurted from his mouth.

"Aren't you supposed to be becoming a missus right now?" Her intelligent response was a shrug. They moved slowly towards each other, taking the other in as if they couldn't believe this moment was happening. When she finally reached him a sob escaped her.

"I couldn't do it. I saw you look up at me and then leave. Watching you walk away I realized I never wanted to watch you walk away from me again." Again, his sarcastic side won.

"Dear Bella, you're sounding rather cliché right now."

"Oh, fuck you. I know I'm not the only one who was hurting today." He pulls her closer and lets his eyes trace her face, trying to memorize the moment when someone chose him, made him their priority. God, it felt better than he imagined, being the first and only choice for not only someone but more importantly, the love of his undead life. To push away those sappy feelings, he drew her face to his and kissed said love. After a few minutes, and needing air, he pulled away and stared at her as if she was unreal.

"Marry me," he breathed, not wanting to break whatever unreal moment he was living in currently. A smirk took over her face.

"Now who's the cliché one?" A swift and passionate kiss shut her up slightly; he totally heard her moan as he deepened the kiss. Finally, after a few minutes, he pulled away.

"Marry me." Her face spread into the biggest smile he had ever seen and she nodded her head. It was with that smile that he knew he'd be able to handle anything if she was next to him smiling that smile for all of eternity.


End file.
